"Uhuh! Uhuh! [i]lamassie[/i] is good at finding treats! Watch, Lady! Watch!"

Étoile's voice drips with saccharine as she carefully sheds her heavy pack and places it gingerly on the ground. The second that finger touched her nose, she was doomed. There's work to do, appearances to maintain, moral quandaries to defeat, people to tranq, and quite honestly probably also some sort of incredibly mean prank to 'accidentally' thwart. And that's to say nothing of all the planning and prep work she needs to keep in her mental load today so she's ready for this evening's chores!

Buuuuuuuut~

Lady said it's playtime! She's not wearing her special outfit but she still gets to be [i]lamassie![/i] Lady's silly little pet who keeps her heart and the smile on her face! She doesn't need to be smart! She doesn't need to juggle all the expectations everyone has for her all the time! She can relax, 'cause she just needs to... oh! She's supposed to find treats for Lady! Sniff sniff!

Even under a veil, the silly smile plastered on Étoile's face is easy to see. Vapid is the wrong word for it. But if you heard her say she hates this, you wouldn't need powers of the heart or mind to know she's lying. Are there treats over here? She prances away on silly, bouncing feet and pokes about at another table. Sniff sniff, sniff sniff! Nope, no treats here! She trots off to another, and hops on top of it! Sniff, sniff sniff! Nope, not here either!

They're not under the worn out umbrellas, nope! Not under the chair, nope nope! Where are Lady's treats? Are they hidden by her feet? Sniff sniff! Lady's giggles are music that sets Étoile's heart on fire. Every bit of her is melting, melting, melting into little pools of bliss. The stiffness in her back that's been there ever since Marianne took the chains to her finally unclenches, and when she coils around the table it's with liquid grace. Her eyes are happy eyes! Her smile is just the cutest! Her mincing little prance elicits so much praise from Lady she thinks she might float off into the sky!

She's halfway to the stairs back toward the kitchen when she stops and smacks her head on the palm of her hand! Silly [i]lamassie![/i] Check Lady's bag if you want Lady's treats! She makes a big show of rooting around in there with her face, top down and bottom up, sniff sniff sniffing until she (very carefully) pulls herself free and fishes out the three containers full of pre-prepared food she knows are in there. Lady's tummy is very delicate! She can't just eat whatever [i]lamassie[/i] finds in this place, silly!

She trots back and lays the spread across the table, pausing every so often with a little look that's begging for something she hasn't quite earned yet. These are good snacks! The best snacks! Cool and refreshing! Spiced so very delicately! Covered with rich cream! [i]lamassie[/i] can't remember the names for any of these foods, but she knows they're Lady's favorite, yes they are! Her little picnic is even nicer than Étoile dreamed it would be!

Because? When she's finished? [i]lamassie[/i] plops down on the ground with her legs folded under her and rests her head on Lady's thighs. This is her favorite playtime position. The Annunaki are naturally warmer than humans, so resting her head here feels just like burying her face in a sweater fresh from the dryer! It's soooooo nice! She snuggles herself in nice and close, and stares up at her Lady with the most soulful eyes she can.

Call her a good girl? Please?